Enhanced public safety and operational efficiency
Hammersmith & Fulham Council recently secured £4.5million to transform public safety. Discover how its unified approach is not only streamlining operations and boosting collaboration between teams but also unlocking long-term investment value.
The company
Hammersmith & Fulham is one of London’s most vibrant inner boroughs. Home to over 180,000 residents within just 16 square kilometers, it boasts world-class entertainment venues like the Eventim Apollo and Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Home to Westfield London—the largest shopping center in Europe—the borough serves as the UK base for global businesses. It’s also the only borough hosting three professional football clubs: Chelsea, Fulham, and Queens Park Rangers.
The challenge
With bustling transport hubs, high visitor footfall, and diverse communities in the borough, the council faced a critical challenge: how to modernize security and infrastructure to keep pace with demand while managing costs. Speaking about the challenges, Andrew Foster, Managing Director Public Services at North, said: “Local government is facing a perfect storm. Rising costs, combined with a reduction in spending power, mean councils have some tough decisions to make. Technology has a huge role to play in making operations more efficient.”
The solution
Complete public safety view
Hammersmith & Fulham Council brought almost all its cameras into Genetec Security Center. They now have a single scalable platform that integrates public space CCTV, IoT sensors, and advanced analytics.
Intelligent analytics and automation
The new system supports the phased adoption of artificial intelligence and intelligent analytics. This will make monitoring less manual, more efficient, and far more responsive.
Open platform flexibility
Security Center gives the council the freedom to choose the best camera and IoT sensor for each location or scenario, rather than being locked into a single supplier.
Revenue-generating opportunities
Since operators can now monitor more cameras, the council has begun to offer monitoring services to neighboring boroughs. The generated revenue will help fund further control room upgrades.
“The borough has achieved a marked improvement in public safety with the total number of offences dropping 10% year-on-year. Included within that is 44% reduction in knife crime, 35% fall in robbery, 30% decline in burglary, and a 29% drop in theft from motor vehicles.”
Neil Thurlow, Director Community Safety, Resilience and CCTV at Hammersmith & Fulham
Results
The new unified CCTV system has delivered clear benefits. Operators are now able to respond faster and collaborate more easily with key partners, including the Metropolitan Police, local football stadiums, and Westfield London. Enhanced data sharing has strengthened joint operations, particularly during major events and peak visitor times.
Since installing Security Center, the borough has improved public safety, with offences dropping 10% year-on-year. That figure includes decreases of 44% in knife crime, 35% in robbery, 30% in burglary, and 29% in theft from motor vehicles. The project has also helped the council deliver on its commitment to ruthless financial efficiency, ensuring that resources are allocated where they are needed most.